Desert Island Dress – Details, episodes & analysis

Hello and welcome back to the second series of the Desert Island Dress podcast with your hosts, Dee Duffy and Katriona Flynn.  

To kick off the series, we are thrilled to welcome Brendan Courtney, beloved Irish TV presenter and fashion designer, as he takes us on a personal journey through his love for fashion, sharing how clothes have shaped his identity from a young age.  

Brendan knows the power of style as a form of self-expression, recalling his teenage years of reinvention with his iconic red leather biker jacket and bleached hair, which helped him transform from a bullied kid to a confident and creative force.  

As someone who is usually the one exploring other people’s homes and memories on his hit TV series, Keys to My Life, it was special to have Brendan with us this time to share his most cherished pieces.  

Join us, as we head down memory lane with Brendan Courtney, through the medium of clothes and the stories they tell.   

This is the Desert Island Dress podcast.  

Join Dee & Katriona as they unpack last week's Desert Island Dress podcast episode.

Hello and welcome to the Desert Island Dress podcast with myself, Dee Duffy and herself, Katriona Flynn. This week we are joined by ... 

Niamh Fitzpatrick is a psychologist specialising in mental health and performance psychology.  

You might notice Niamh mentions our persistence in inviting her as a guest on Desert Island Dress, and she tells no lies, we have been persistent! We have been aware of Niamh's work for many years, from her former Agony Aunt days on Today FM, to her role as Irish Olympic Headquarters Psychologist.   

Niamh has been described as warm, insightful, creative and enthusiastic and we can confirm that she is all these things, and so much more. She is a wonderful storyteller, her four garment choices, from wellies to Wexford jerseys transported us from beautiful childhood memories to unimaginable moments of loss and tragedy.  

Niamh's openness and integrity in memories and love of her family and friends will have a long-lasting impression on you, there is such clarity and calmness in her conversation and dialogue. We are thoroughly grateful to Niamh for joining us, for giving so openly her memories and stories, and for forgiving our persistence. We have no regrets! 

And if you enjoy the episode, Niamh's book ‘Tell me the Truth about Loss’, is a beautiful and hopeful book which continues some of the themes discussed throughout the recording. 

Join us, as we accompany Niamh Fitzpatrick down memory lane, through the medium of clothes and the stories they tell.  

This is the Desert Island Dress podcast. 

Join Dee & Katriona as they unpack last week's Desert Island Dress podcast episode.

This week we are joined by Irish fashion journalist Ruth O’Connor. Ruth is an experienced journalist, specialising in design, craft, trends, sustainability and business, her ability to create a headline moment is evident and left us wanting to know more about her clubbing days and a famous or what should be famous, 'coat'. More of that later.  

In other moments Ruth shared more emotional relationships and connections as she recalled the important people in her life, and the stems of her passions and advocacy for sustainability, heritage skills, innovation and Irish design became so evident.  

Ruth's intrigue and support of Irish talent and creativity, and even just her kindness and support for this podcast show the true sentimentalist she is, and how she finds great resonance in what we choose to wear. 

Do check out Ruth's musings in her weekly lifestyle column Desire Lines, in the Irish Examiner newspaper, along with her frequent contributions to Image magazine, Galway Now, The Gloss, and the Sunday Times. Ruth has also written for the Irish Times, Irish Country Magazine, The Business Post, and The Currency, and has been a mentor and a judge with the Design & Craft Council Ireland and the Institute of Designers in Ireland.  

Safe to say, she is a highly respected voice in the Irish fashion scene, and we thoroughly enjoyed heading down memory lane with Ruth through the medium of clothes and the stories they tell.

This is the Desert Island Dress podcast.  

Join Dee & Katriona as they unpack last week's Desert Island Dress podcast episode.

Hello and welcome to the Desert Island Dress podcast with myself, Dee Duffy and herself, Katriona Flynn. This week we are joined by ... 

Irish music journalist, blogger, and editor of RTE’s Brainstorm, Jim Carroll  

Jim brought all the energy and we loved it! What quickly transpires about Jim is his passion for creativity, his ability to offer compassionate but constructive commentary and a sense of perspective to the cultural landscapes, in particular Dublin's.  

There is no doubt that he has a great ear for music and a sense of the next big thing, and long-lasting great big things, but his eye also for clothing detail quickly arose. From garment construction to the social cues these pieces hold, the conversation was charming.  

If you haven't read Jim's writings or attended his events you really should – we'll pop some suggested links in the show notes.   

We thoroughly enjoyed heading (energetically) down memory lane with Jim through the medium of clothes and the stories they tell.  

This is the Desert Island Dress podcast. 

Join Dee & Katriona as they unpack last week's Desert Island Dress podcast episode.

Hello and welcome to the Desert Island Dress podcast with myself, Dee Duffy and herself, Katriona Flynn. This week we are joined by ... 

The one & only, Davina Devine! 

Davina is one of Ireland's most recognisable Drag Queens & Cabaret showgirls, having served on stages all over Ireland & Internationally for over two decades. 

Charismatic and glamorous, Davina confirmed our suspicions of a large archive of fabulous costumes and looks, but it was lovely to hear the choices Davina selected for her Desert Island Dress collection, Yes there were sequins and wind machines but also nods to the Spice Girls and perhaps unexpectedly journalist Vincent Browne got a mention!.  

A true Diva, and a wonderfully warm & genuine guest.  

Davina Devine is queen of many talents Singer, Model, DJ Brand ambassador, one-half of the podcast Petty Little Things (a good play on words is not lost on us) and host of the iconic club night Thirsty Thursday at The George in Dublin.

We loved joining Davina on her trip down memory lane through the medium of (fabulous) clothes and the stories they tell.  

This is the Desert Island Dress podcast. 

Need a new podcast recommendation?

Are you interested in the clothes we wear? The stories they tell? Do you wonder Why we wear, what we wear, when we wear it?

Or are you someone who claims never to give clothing a second thought? Even so - this is the podcast for you!

I’m Dee Duffy and I’m Katriona Flynn, and together we will explore the many stories a simple garment can unravel on our new podcast, Desert Island Dress.

Inspired by the classic BBC radio broadcast, Desert Island Discs, our new podcast follows a similar arrangement.

We ask guests to choose four items of dress, items which have shaped their lives and that they could not bear to leave behind on the mainland. Every other week, Dee and I then reflect on our guest’s stories, unpack anything of social, historic, fashionable or just general interest, and have a good reflective chat on the conversation.

Desert Island Dress - coming soon on all major podcast platforms – subscribe now so you don’t miss an episode!

Website: https://www.desertislanddress.com/

Instagram: @desert_island_dress

Find out more about your hosts:

Katriona Flynn: linkedin.com/in/katrionaflynn

Dr Dee Duffy: linkedin.com/in/drdeeduffy

Image credit: XrayVeasey